BEAVERS: PATAGONIA INVADERS

“Beavers: Patagonia Invaders” is a documentary that narrates one of man’s most naive attempts to alter ecosystems for his own benefit. In 1940 twenty Canadian beavers were introduced on the island of Tierra del Fuego, at the southern Patagonia in Argentina and Chile for the development of the fur industry. The project failed and the beaver, with no natural predators, quickly spread like a plague to other islands in the region, reaching 150,000 individuals, causing massive destruction of local trees and species, threatening all of Patagonia’s forests and lakes.

Why are wildlife conservationists convinced that the 150,000 animals (beavers) must be eliminated immediately, and why are some of the most renowned beaver specialists convinced that eradication is impossible and strongly opposed to the cull?

All agree that invasive species represent the second leading cause of biodiversity loss and species extinction worldwide. They gobble up food and resources that native species need to survive and threaten the economy and human health. Once the invasive species settles in the region, eradication is not always possible.

Meanwhile in Tierra del Fuego tourism takes advantage of the situation: a man dressed as a beaver hands out pamphlets promoting one of the most famous ski resorts, the CASTOR mountain, hunters claim subsidies, scientists continue their research, park rangers do what they can and restaurants try to offer their meat.

Beavers: Patagonia Invaders is a story about a hidden problem whose root is ignorance.